Stenciled footwear

ABSTRACT

Footwear is provided, including an upper portion and at least one design applied to the upper portion. The design includes at least one border. The border at least partially defines at least one region that is configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/856,599, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to footwear, and in particular to footwear including an upper portion with at least one design.

BACKGROUND

Consumers personalize their footwear by drawing pictures or designs along the upper portion of their shoes. The designs are applied to the shoes using a variety of ways. For example, markers, spray paint, or any type of colored pigment can be applied to the shoes.

Some footwear manufacturers provide consumers with a set that includes a pair of blank shoes, colored pigment and a set of guidelines with ideas for how to customize shoes. However, some consumers are not confident enough in their own artistic abilities to successfully customize their shoes. These consumers sometimes struggle when confronted with drawing their own picture or design, especially without a guide or a pre-drawn pattern. In particular, consumers may be especially hesitant to decorate their shoes when they must start with a blank surface to create a design.

Thus, there exists a need to provide footwear that has an outline, or sketch of a design already applied to the shoe. A consumer can then complete or customize the footwear by adding color or other treatments to the regions defined by the design outline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a pair of shoes including a design applied to an upper portion of the shoes;

FIG. 1A is an elevational view of the shoes in FIG. 1, after a consumer has applied pigment to the upper portion;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an alternative illustration of the shoes in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is an elevational view of the shoes in FIG. 2, after a consumer has applied pigment to the upper portion;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an alternative illustration of the shoes in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is an elevational view of the shoes in FIG. 3, after a consumer has applied pigment to the upper portion;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of an alternative illustration of the shoes in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is an elevational view of the shoes in FIG. 4, after a consumer has applied pigment to the upper portion; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a kit used to color the shoes as seen in FIG. 4A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the discussion that follows and also to the drawings, illustrative approaches to the disclosed systems and methods are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent some possible approaches, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Further, the descriptions set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the claims to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.

According to various exemplary illustrations described herein, footwear including an upper portion, a sole and at least one design applied to the upper portion is provided. The design includes at least one border, the border defining at least in part an enclosed region. The upper portion of the footwear is configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment. In particular, the region is configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment.

Turning now to the illustrations, FIG. 1 illustrates footwear 20 in the form of a pair of shoes 22. FIG. 1 illustrates the shoes 22 before being customized by the consumer, and FIG. 1A illustrates the shoes 22 after being customized. The shoes 22 each include an upper portion 24 and a sole 26. In the illustration as shown, the upper portion 24 is constructed from a base cloth material, such as, but not limited to a white or other light-colored canvas.

It should be noted that while FIGS. 1-1A illustrate the upper portion 24 constructed from a light-colored canvas, any material capable of forming the upper portion 24 and that is configured for selectively receiving and retaining at least one pigment may be used as well. However, a white or light-colored background is may be more desirable in some uses, because it is easier to see pigments on a lighter color. Moreover, a material that allows for paint, crayon or other forms of consumer-based pigments to be received is also is expected to be more common.

A design 40 is applied to the upper portions 24 of the shoes 22. FIGS. 1-1A illustrate the design 40 as a plurality of skulls 50. The design 40 may be different between the two shoes 22. Indeed, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-1A, while the largest skull 52 is similarly positioned on the two shoes 22, the smaller skulls 64 are positioned differently about the largest skull 52. The designs 40 help to facilitate application of colored pigment to provide a pleasing and coherent representation to the shoes 22, which would be lacking if the upper portion 24 were blank.

The design 40 includes at least one border 80. The border 80 defines at least in part an enclosed region 82. The region 82 is configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment. Although FIGS. 1-1A illustrate the design 40 as a plurality of skulls 50, the design 40 could be anything. For example, the design 40 could be cartoon characters (i.e., Garfield), iconic designs (i.e., hearts), artwork from well-known artists (i.e., “Red Hot Chili Peppers”) or even collegiate designs (e.g., licensed images from universities). In one exemplary illustration, the design 40 is screen printed on the upper portion 24 by a stencil, however, the design 40 may be applied to the upper portion 24 in a variety of ways, such as, but not limited to embossing or embroidering.

In the illustration, as shown, the design 40 may include the region 82 being defined by a portion of the border 80 as well as a portion of the shoe 22. More specifically, as seen in FIG. 1, one of the smaller skulls 64 is designated by an A. The border 80 defines a portion of the outline 94 of the smaller skull 64. The outline 94 also defines a portion of the region 82. Additionally, a portion of the sole 26 encloses the region 82. Indeed the region 82 is closed, but it is a combination of the border 80 and the outer boundary of upper portion 24 meeting the sole 26 that defines the region 82. The region 82 can also be enclosed by an upper edge 72 of the shoe as well.

Alternatively, the region 82 can also be defined entirely by the border 80. FIG. 1 illustrates the largest skull 52 designated by a B. The border 80 defines the entire the region 82 of the largest skull 52. Moreover, both of the smaller skulls 64 and the larger skull 52 include a sub-region 84. The sub-region 84 is located within the region 82 and is defined in part by a sub-region border 86. In the embodiment as illustrated, the sub-regions 84 define the eyes and nose of the skulls 50, and pigment may or may not be applied to the sub-regions 84 depending on what the consumer desires.

Consumers could use the design 40 to aid them in customizing the shoes 22 to fit their own needs and tastes. For example, a consumer could color the design 40 as shown in FIG. 1A, using a pigment in a particular color that is desired. Moreover, a consumer could also only partially color in the design 40 to achieve a particular effect, which is discussed in greater detail below.

A plurality of different colored pigments may be used to color the design 40. For example, as seen in FIG. 1A, a first color 54 is used to color a background 56 of the upper portion 24. In addition to the first color 54, a second color 58 is illustrated, which fills in the design 40. Additionally, a third color 60 is used to color the design 40 as well, in one of the smaller skulls 64. No color is applied to one of the smaller skulls 64 of the right and left shoes 22. 100251 Moreover, the placement of pigment is not limited to the specific regions defined by the design 40. For example, a series of splotches 62 of non-region specific pigment are applied to the shoes 22 along the upper portion 24. Thus, the consumer is able to customize the shoes 22 using the design 40 as a guide, but is still be able to add their own features as desired.

When a consumer customizes the footwear 20, pigment is applied to at least a portion of one of the regions 82 of the design 40. If desired, the consumer applies pigment to at least a portion of one sub-region 84 as well. In the illustration as shown in FIGS. 1-1A, the consumer also applies pigment to at least one non-region specific area of the upper portion, such as the splotches 62. As discussed in greater detail below, once the consumer has achieved the final, desired application of pigment to the footwear 20, a clear coating can be applied to the upper portion 24.

FIGS. 2-2A illustrate the usage of the first color 154, which is used to color the background 156, and is also the same color as a border 180 of the design 140. That is, as best seen in FIG. 2A, the first color 154 is adjacent to and is the same color as the border 180. FIG. 2 illustrates the shoes 122 before being customized by the consumer, and FIG. 2A illustrates the shoes 122 after being customized.

As seen in FIG. 2A, the design 140 is a plurality of stars 150. The stars 150 include the first color 154 and the second color 158. A portion of the stars 150 are colored in the first color 154 while a portion of the stars 150 are colored in the second color 158. Moreover, similar to FIGS. 1-1A, the placement of the stars 150 is different between the two shoes 122. It should be noted that while FIGS. 2-2A illustrate the border 180 including the same color as the background 156, the border 180 may be of different colors as well.

FIGS. 3-3A represent the design 240 where a pre-applied pigment 288 is included. More specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates the shoes 222 before being customized by the consumer, and includes the pre-applied pigment 288. FIG. 3A illustrates the shoes 222 after being customized, including the first color 254 applied to the regions 282.

FIGS. 4-4A illustrate the design 340 that is the same on both the left and right shoes 322. Similar to the illustrations in FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 4 illustrates the shoes 322 before being customized by the consumer, and FIG. 4A illustrates the shoes 322 after being customized. In the illustrations as shown, the selective application of colored pigment to the regions 382 is the same for each shoe 322. The first color 354 is used for the background 356 as well as the sub-region 384. Moreover, as noted above, there is no requirement that colored pigment be applied to all of the regions 382 defined by the design 340.

The design 340 includes the borders 380 which are represented by lines of varying thickness. That is, the border 380 of the region 382 includes a first thickness T1, and the sub-region border 386 includes a second thickness T2. The first thickness T1 is greater than the second thickness T2. More specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates the outermost border 380 of the design 340, which is the outer periphery of the turtle 350, being thicker than the sub-region border 386 defining the underside of the turtle shell. Because the border 380 of the region 382 includes the first thickness T1 that is greater than the second thickness T2, greater emphasis is on the outline of the turtle 350, and less emphasis is on the other features of the turtle 350, such as the underside of the turtle shell.

Additionally, the pre-applied pigment 388 can also define the non-border regions 396 of the design 340 as well. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates the nose and eyes of the turtle defined by the non-border regions 396.

In one approach as illustrated by FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the designs 40, 140 and 340 each include at least one region 82, 182 and 382 that are entirely enclosed by the borders 80, 180 and 380 alone. That is, as seen in FIG. 1, the largest skull 52 includes the region 82 that is completely enclosed by the border 80. FIGS. 1 and 4 also illustrate the sub-regions 84 and 384 that are completely enclosed by the sub-region borders 86 and 386.

In one illustrative embodiment, a color kit 400 can be provided with the footwear 320. FIG. 5 illustrates a plurality of pigments 402 included with the kit 400. However, it should be noted that only one pigment 402 may be included in the kit 400 as well. The pigment 402 is configured for selectively being applied to the upper portion 324 of the footwear 320. In the illustration as shown, the kit 400 includes the pigments that are used in the post-colored representation (FIG. 4A) of the shoes 322. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the pigments 402 as paint, the pigments could be of any form, such as, but not limited to, crayons, markers, ink or spray paint.

The kit 400 can include a set of tools 404 to color the footwear 320 as well. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the tools 404 as paint brushes, any instrument that can apply the pigments 402 to the shoes 322, such as, but not limited to, a paint pen or a squeeze bottle can be used as well. A clear coating 406 used to protect the pigment 402 may be included in the kit 400 as well. The clear coating 406 is applied to the upper portion 324 after the pigment 402 has been applied.

In each of the examples the design provides a guide to facilitate the application of colored pigment. In the illustrations pigment is applied such that it is at least adjacent the outline of a defined design although as noted in FIG. 1 some colored pigment is illustrated that is not limited to the specific regions although as illustrated, it is applied after the initial colored pigment is applied that is generally adjacent the outline of a defined design.

The present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, which are merely illustrative of the best modes for carrying out the invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby. This description of the invention should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application. 

1. Footwear comprising: an upper portion; and at least one design applied to the upper portion, the design including at least one border; wherein the border at least partially defines at least one region configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment.
 2. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the region is completely enclosed.
 3. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the region is defined by a portion of the border and a portion of the footwear.
 4. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the footwear includes a sole, the region being defined by a portion of the border and a portion of the sole.
 5. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the footwear includes an upper edge, the region is defined by a portion of the border and a portion of the upper edge.
 6. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the region is defined entirely by the border.
 7. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the design includes a sub-region, the sub-region located within the region, the sub-region defined at least in part by a sub-region border.
 8. The footwear as recited in claim 7, wherein the border of the region includes a first thickness, and the sub-region border includes a second thickness, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness.
 9. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the pigment is pre-applied to the footwear.
 10. The footwear as recited in claim 1, including a plurality of pigments.
 11. The footwear as recited in claim 1, including a plurality of designs.
 12. The footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the footwear comprises a first shoe and a second shoe, the design of the first shoe being different than the design on the second shoe.
 13. A kit for customizing footwear, comprising: footwear including an upper portion, the upper portion including at least one design applied to the upper portion, the design including at least one border; and at least one pigment that is configured for selectively being applied to the upper portion of the footwear; wherein the border at least partially defines at least one enclosed region configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment.
 14. The kit as recited in claim 13, wherein the pigment is one of a crayon, marker, paint and ink.
 15. The kit as recited in claim 13, further comprising at least one tool configured for applying the pigment to the upper portion.
 16. The kit as recited in claim 13, further comprising a clear coating for applying to the upper portion after the pigment has been applied, the clear coating configured for protecting the pigment on the upper portion.
 17. A method of customizing footwear, comprising: providing footwear including an upper portion and at least one design applied to the upper portion, the design including at least one border, the border at least partially defining at least one region configured for selectively receiving at least one pigment; and applying the pigment to at least a portion of the region defined by the border.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of applying pigment to at least one non-region specific area of the upper portion.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of applying pigment to at least a portion of a sub-region of the upper portion, wherein the sub-region is located within the region and is defined at least in part by a sub-region border.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of applying a clear coating to the upper portion after the pigment has been applied. 